The D.A. program in English combines
advanced study in literary, cultural, and composition studies with
preparation for teaching. It offers courses and research
opportunities with outstandingfacultyin traditional and emerging fields of literature,
cultural studies, critical theory, writing, and composition
studies. At the same time, it emphasizes the theory and
practice of pedagogy, especially writing pedagogy, to prepare
students for English and interdisciplinary college teaching.
The program is designed for both full-time graduate students and
professional educators, administrators, and writers who want to
pursue a doctoral degree part-time. While most recent
graduates of the D.A. program are faculty at colleges and
universities, other graduates have positions in publishing,
editing, public relations, and administration in secondary and
higher education.
The English D.A. degree emerged in the
1960s and 1970s to meet the growing need for faculty at four-year
and two-year colleges. The D.A. program at St. John’s has
since evolved into a doctoral program that emphasizes the
interrelatedness of pedagogy, theory, and literary and cultural
studies. The opportunities for advanced research are
comparable to those of English Ph.D. programs, but the English D.A.
program is distinguished by its integration of research and writing
with pedagogical practice. With the 2006 opening of
theInstitute for Writing
Studies, the D.A. program features an
exceptional new environment for professional training and
development in writing instruction.
The English D.A. curriculum provides a
foundation in critical theory and writing pedagogy, while offering
students the opportunity to develop programs of study that meet
their intellectual and professional goals. Among the areas of
study featured in the program are creative writing and composition
studies, British and American literary history, and
interdisciplinary fields such as gender studies and postcolonial
studies. The English department has especially strong
concentrations of faculty in writing and composition studies,
American studies, and modernist studies. It also features
excellent faculty in early modern, eighteenth-century, and
nineteenth-century British literary studies.
All of the English graduate courses at St.
John’s are seminars taught by research faculty who are committed to
teaching and mentoring graduate students. The graduate
program offers a wide range of courses each semester on the Queens
and Manhattan St. John’s campuses. After completing their
coursework, students in the D.A. program are encouraged to develop
innovative research projects that correspond with their
professional interests. The areas of study that students
formulate for their
comprehensive examsand
dissertationrepresent the
interdisciplinary nature of the program. Complementing these
research projects are opportunities for practical experience,
whether teaching as graduate assistants or tutoring students in the
writing center at the Institute for Writing Studies. The
English department also presents regular lectures and readings by
renowned scholars and writers as well as an annual graduate student
conference.
Contact Information:
Dr. Steven Mentz
Director of Graduate Studies
English Department
718 990-6387
mentzs@stjohns.edu
Graduate Admission
Information
Robert Medrano, Director
Office of Graduate Admission
(718) 990-2790
medranor@stjohns.edu
